Coffee machine

ABSTRACT

The coffee machine has a water reservoir located in a housing, a heating device having electric regulating devices, a beverage collecting vessel which can be placed on a housing base, and a coffee brewing housing which is arranged above the beverage collecting vessel. The coffee brewing housing which can be swivelled out of the coffee machine housing is secured in the working position at the coffee machine housing by a manually actuated hold-back device which is spring-loaded in the locking direction. To enable a reliable triggering of the swiveling movement of the coffee brewing housing after it has been unlocked from the housing of the coffee machine without the use of spring elements which cause an undefined swiveling movement, the hold-back device is coupled with a push bar which acts on the coffee brewing housing in the swiveling out direction and is guided at the housing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is directed to a coffee machine with a water reservoirlocated in a housing, a heating device having electric regulatingdevices, a beverage collecting vessel which can be placed on a housingbase, and a coffee brewing housing which is arranged above the beveragecollecting vessel and can be swivelled out of the housing and is securedin the working position at the housing by manually actuated hold-backmeans which are spring-loaded in the locking direction.

2. Description of the Related Art

A coffee machine of the type mentioned above is known from U.S. Pat. No.3,384,004. This coffee machine has a substantially C-shaped housing anda beverage collecting vessel can be placed on a housing base in the openspace of the C-shaped housing cross section. A coffee brewing housing,in which a filter bag containing ground coffee is inserted, is locatedabove the beverage collecting vessel, hot water being supplied to thiscoffee brewing housing via a line. In order to remove the used filterbag and insert a new filter bag containing ground coffee, the coffeebrewing housing can be swiveled out of the housing of the coffeemachine. For this purpose, hold-back means formed of a leaf-spring typelatch and a handle connected therewith are arranged at the housing ofthe coffee machine, this latch engaging behind the rim of the coffeebrewing housing in the working position so as to hold it in its workingposition. When actuating the hold-back means, the coffee brewing housingswivels out of the housing of the coffee machine by its own weight or inthat it is acted upon by a spring, so that the interior of the coffeebrewing housing is accessible to the user. In this prior art solution,the coffee brewing housing is held at the housing of the coffee machineso as to be swivelable in a downward direction and can be pressed, via aring seal, against a cover plate which is stationary with respect to thehousing, this working position being secured by the hold-back means. Thebrewing process may create a slight vacuum in the coffee brewing housingto an extent sufficient to prevent the coffee brewing housing fromswiveling down out of the housing by gravity. However, in order toensure the swiveling out movement after the disengagement of thehold-back means, the coffee brewing housing can be swiveled out of thehousing of the coffee machine when the hold-back means are released viathe handle by means of a pressing plate which rests on the filter bagand is actuated by spring force in the swiveling out direction.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to enable a reliable triggeringof the swiveling movement of the coffee brewing housing after it hasbeen unlocked from the housing of the coffee machine without the use ofspring elements which cause an undefined swiveling movement. This objectis met, according to the invention, in that the hold-back means arecoupled with a push bar which acts on the coffee brewing housing in theswiveling out direction and is guided at the housing. When the hold-backmeans are actuated to unlock the coffee brewing housing, a swiveling outmovement of the coffee brewing housing relative to the housing of thecoffee machine is effected at the same time so as to be synchronous withthis actuating movement and compulsorily dependent thereon. In so doing,the swivel angle of the swiveling out movement, which is effected in thehorizontal direction in the coffee machine according to the innovation,need only be large enough to allow the user to reach behind the wall ofthe coffee brewing housing which is flush with the wall of the coffeemachine housing in the working position, so that the user can swivel outthe coffee brewing housing into a position allowing the coffee filter tobe changed without difficulty.

In order to achieve a push mechanism occupying a small space, thehold-back means are constructed according to another feature of theinnovation as an angle lever which is supported at a pin of the housingand whose actuating arm projects from the housing by a catch head whichengages over the rim of the coffee brewing housing so as to secure it,the other arm of the angle lever being constructed as a knee leverhaving the push bar. The arm of the knee lever constructed as a push baris connected with the other arm adjoining the bearing eye of the anglelever by a film hinge.

In order to ensure that the hold-back means will return automatically tothe blocking position after the user has let go and that the push barwill return to its inactive position, the pin which supports the anglelever and is stationary with respect to the housing is enclosed by aspring clip, one of whose legs is supported at an abutment which isstationary with respect to the housing, while the other leg acts in theblocking direction on the actuating arm provided with the catch head.For this purpose, the actuating arm of the angle lever has retainingprojections which engage over the legs of the spring clip so as to holdthem in position. The operational position of the spring clip is ensuredin this way.

The invention is shown in the drawing by way of an embodiment exampleand is explained more fully in the following.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the Drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coffee machine outfitted with theinnovation, as seen from the front;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the coffee machine shown in FIG. 1 with thehousing cover removed and the coffee brewing housing secured to thehousing; and

FIG. 3 is another top view of the coffee machine with the housing coverremoved, in which the hold-back means are shown in the actuated positionand a portion of the coffee brewing housing is moved into a horizontallyswiveled out position relative to the coffee machine via the push bar ofthe coffee brewing housing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The coffee machine has a housing 10 which is shaped as a circle sectoras seen in cross section and encloses in its lower region roughly halfthe circumference of a circular housing base 11 having a warming plate.The upper region of the sector-shaped housing 10 is constructed as awater reservoir 12 having at its base an inlet opening 13 which leads toa heating device 50 (having electric regulating devices 52) which isaccommodated in the housing base 11 and is known per se. The heatedwater is transported from the heating device via an ascending tube 14into an outlet chamber 15 arranged at the top and finally flows throughthe outlet opening 16 of the latter into a coffee brewing housing 18 inwhich a filter basket 17 is removably inserted. This coffee brewinghousing 18 is connected at one side with the upper region of the housing10 via a hinge 19 in such a way that it can swivel out horizontally. Thesector-shaped housing 10 is covered at the top by a substantiallycircular housing cover 20, one half of which is connected in astationary manner with the top of the housing 10 so as to cover theoutlet chamber 15, while the other half of the housing cover 20 can befolded open to access the water reservoir 12. The free space locatedbetween the coffee brewing housing and the housing base 11 serves toreceive a beverage collecting vessel 21 which can be placed on thewarming plate in the housing base 11.

The disk-like housing part 22 arranged over the coffee brewing housing18 forms, in combination with the housing cover 20 engaging over it, aflat chamber which is shaped like a cylindrical disk in some regions andencloses the outlet chamber 15. The front wall 23 of the coffee brewinghousing 18 rises to the top of the housing cover 20 and has a projection24 in the region of the cylindrical chamber containing the outletchamber 15. A catch head 26 of the hold-back means 25 which projectsbeyond the housing part 22 and the front wall 23 of the coffee brewinghousing 18 in its working position engages over this projection 24 andserves as a handle. These hold-back means 25 are constructed as an anglelever 27 whose bearing eye 28 encloses an axle pin 29 which isstationary with respect to the housing. The actuating arm 30 projectsfrom the articulated eye 28 on one side, while the other lever arm 31projecting away from the bearing eye 28 is constructed as a knee lever.The arm of the knee lever adjoining the bearing eye 28 is connected viaa film hinge 33 with another arm constructed as a push bar 32. This pushbar 32 penetrates a guide opening 40 in the vertical wall of the housingpart 22 and can act upon the inner side of the front wall 23 of thecoffee brewing housing 18 when the hold-back means 25 are actuated. Inorder to enable the hold-back means 2 to return automatically to theposition shown in FIG. 2 after every actuation, the pin 29 which isconnected in a stationary manner with the housing is enclosed by aspring clip 34, one of whose legs 35 is supported at an abutment 37which is stationary with respect to the housing, while its other leg 36acts on the actuating arm 30 in such a way that the coffee brewinghousing 18 is blocked by the catch head 26. The actuating arm 30 hasretaining projections 38 and 39 which hold the legs 35 and 36 and thespring clip 34 in the desired position. Further, a cover tongue 41 isarranged at the actuating arm 30 of the hold-back means 25. This covertongue 41 covers the opening for the actuating arm in the housing part22 when the hold-back means 25 are located in a blocking positionmaintaining the working position of the coffee brewing housing 18.

Proceeding from the working position of the coffee brewing housing 18shown in FIG. 2, the filter basket 17 in the coffee brewing housing canbe emptied or refilled by operating the catch head 26 in thecounterclockwise direction. In so doing, the catch head 26 releases theprojection 24 at the front wall 23 of the coffee brewing housing 18 and,by continuing to swivel the hold-back means 25 via the catch head 26,the push bar 32 penetrating the guide opening 40 acts on the inner sideof the front wall 23 of the coffee brewing housing 18 and moves thecoffee brewing housing into the position shown in FIG. 3. The user maynow let go of the catch head 26 which then swivels back into theposition shown in FIG. 2 under the influence of the spring clip 34,while the coffee brewing housing 18 remains in the position shown inFIG. 3. Therefore, the user can now reach behind the projection 24 orthe front wall 23 of the coffee brewing housing 18 and swivel it outalong the fold-out position shown in FIG. 3 so that the filter basket 17can be removed, e.g., to remove the used coffee grounds and insert freshground coffee in a new filter bag. The locking position shown in FIG. 2can then be achieved again simply by swiveling back the coffee brewinghousing 18.

As was already mentioned, the embodiment form described and shown aboveis given only as an example illustrating the subject of the presentinvention which is in no way limited thereby. Rather, there are manypossible modifications and other constructions of the subject of theinvention.

While the foregoing description and drawings represent the preferredembodiments of the present invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be madetherein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. In a coffee machine with a water reservoirlocated in a main housing, a heating device having electric regulatingdevices, a beverage collecting vessel which can be placed on a housingbase, a coffee brewing housing which is arranged above the beveragecollecting vessel, mounting means for connecting said coffee brewinghousing to said main housing to enable a swiveling of said coffeebrewing housing out of the main housing and manually actuated hold-backmeans for securing said coffee brewing housing in a working position atsaid main housing, a spring being provided for biasing said hold-backmeans towards a locking position, the improvement comprising:a push bar;said hold-back means being coupled with said push bar which acts on thecoffee brewing housing in the swiveling out direction; and means at themain housing for guiding said push bar.
 2. The coffee machine accordingto claim 1, wherein said hold-back means are constructed as an anglelever which is supported at a pin of the main housing and whoseactuating arm projects from the main housing by a catch head whichengages over the rim of the coffee brewing housing, the other lever armbeing constructed as a knee lever having the push bar.
 3. The coffeemachine according to claim 2, to wherein the arm of the knee leverconstructed as a push bar is connected with the other arm adjoining thebearing eye of the angle lever by a film hinge.
 4. The coffee machineaccording to claim 2, wherein the pin which is stationary with respectto the main housing is enclosed by said spring in the form of a springclip, one of whose legs is supported at an abutment which is stationarywith respect to the main housing, while the other leg acts in theblocking direction on the actuating arm provided with the catch head. 5.The coffee machine according to claim 4, wherein the actuating arm ofthe angle lever has retaining projections which engage over the legs ofthe spring clip so as to hold them in position.